It has been a long, long time since I last posted -- I wondered for awhile if I would ever post again. But I recently visited the Van Gogh Up Close exhibition at the wonderful Philadelphia Museum of Art, and I had to give a shout out for this show.
The exhibition contains pieces from museums and private collections from all over the world, and highlights Van Gogh's work during the last four years of his life. In particular, the exhibition focuses on his intense, close-up studies of the natural world -- irises, wheat, grass, and of course some of those famous tournesols. What really stood out to me, more than anything else, was just how much paint Van Gogh applied to his canvases, and texture and three-dimensionality that creates when you view the paintings live.
If you live in or near Philadelphia, I strongly urge you to go (and make sure to buy tickets ahead of time), it is well worth the money. Plus, your ticket includes admission into the rest of the museum, which is a standout in its own right.
Before or after visiting the exhibition, I recommend having brunch, lunch, or dinner at the Belgian Cafe, which is just a short walk from the Art Museum.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Fall CSA: Week 6
The fall extension to my CSA nears its end, but the bounty just seems to be getting better:
- Blue Hokkaido squash
- Spinach
- Gold beets
Napa cabbageswapped for tatsoi- Lacinato kale
- Bok choy
- Turnips
- Onions
- Sweet potatoes
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Playing Too Many Games is Bad for Your Health...
...and if that is the case, I am screwed.
Anyways, I have played a bunch of computer games since returning to the US, building a new desktop, and registering with Steam, Valve's online game distribution system. Here are a few femto-reviews on games I really, really liked.
The Witcher 2: The Witcher 2 is dark, grimy fantasy, with a badass protagonist, interesting Eastern European-inspired takes on fantasy monsters, and meaningful choices that come back and haunt you later in the game. The story is strong, the visuals are very good, and the overall feel is a nice departure from your bog-standard CRPGs. 5 out of 5.
Bastion: An action game produced by an independent developer called Supergiant Games, I picked up Bastion on a whim. The gameplay is great (different weapons give you different abilities, but you can only carry 2 at a time), the narration actually follows what you are doing in-game, and the soundtrack is fantastic. The thing that stands out most is the style. 4 out of 5.
Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim: I will preface this by the fact that I barely played Morrowind, and even though I bought Oblivion, I played it for a couple of hours and just stopped. What Skyrim has going for it is an incredibly rich world, both in terms of landscape (climbing to the top of mountains at night, when the sky is clear and the Northern Lights are out, is just ridiculous), NPCs, and quests. Now many of the quests become boring, but I did not find the open world approach in Skyrim as paralyzing as the previous games. There are still some hiccups in terms of bugs, and the leveling system can encourage some gimmicky min-maxing, but the world of Skyrim pushes all those small problems to the background. 4.5 out of 5.
Batman Arkham City: Arkham Asylum was another game I bought on a whim on Steam, after hearing many rave reviews about the game. It was tremendous, and I have been looking forward to the sequel ever since. Basically, this game lets you be Batman. Like, in every way -- stealthily taking out criminals, crushing a dozen thugs in hand-to-hand combat, gliding from rooftop to rooftop, and extricating yourself from trouble using an array of gadgets (the game even calls them Gadgets). My only complaint about the game, compared to Arkham Asylum, is that the main plot is a bit more forced, and has perhaps a few too many twists. On the plus side, the side quests and the open nature of Arkham City itself makes this game more interesting to explore than its predecessor. 4.5 out of 5.
Anyways, I have played a bunch of computer games since returning to the US, building a new desktop, and registering with Steam, Valve's online game distribution system. Here are a few femto-reviews on games I really, really liked.
The Witcher 2: The Witcher 2 is dark, grimy fantasy, with a badass protagonist, interesting Eastern European-inspired takes on fantasy monsters, and meaningful choices that come back and haunt you later in the game. The story is strong, the visuals are very good, and the overall feel is a nice departure from your bog-standard CRPGs. 5 out of 5.
Bastion: An action game produced by an independent developer called Supergiant Games, I picked up Bastion on a whim. The gameplay is great (different weapons give you different abilities, but you can only carry 2 at a time), the narration actually follows what you are doing in-game, and the soundtrack is fantastic. The thing that stands out most is the style. 4 out of 5.
Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim: I will preface this by the fact that I barely played Morrowind, and even though I bought Oblivion, I played it for a couple of hours and just stopped. What Skyrim has going for it is an incredibly rich world, both in terms of landscape (climbing to the top of mountains at night, when the sky is clear and the Northern Lights are out, is just ridiculous), NPCs, and quests. Now many of the quests become boring, but I did not find the open world approach in Skyrim as paralyzing as the previous games. There are still some hiccups in terms of bugs, and the leveling system can encourage some gimmicky min-maxing, but the world of Skyrim pushes all those small problems to the background. 4.5 out of 5.
Batman Arkham City: Arkham Asylum was another game I bought on a whim on Steam, after hearing many rave reviews about the game. It was tremendous, and I have been looking forward to the sequel ever since. Basically, this game lets you be Batman. Like, in every way -- stealthily taking out criminals, crushing a dozen thugs in hand-to-hand combat, gliding from rooftop to rooftop, and extricating yourself from trouble using an array of gadgets (the game even calls them Gadgets). My only complaint about the game, compared to Arkham Asylum, is that the main plot is a bit more forced, and has perhaps a few too many twists. On the plus side, the side quests and the open nature of Arkham City itself makes this game more interesting to explore than its predecessor. 4.5 out of 5.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Fall CSA: Weeks 3 - 5
So yeah, I am a bit behind. I blame it on Thanksgiving (traveled to California and spent the holiday with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law) and grants and stuff. Ya know.
Anyways, week 3 was Thanksgiving week, so I gave everything to my friends (with whom I am sharing the CSA share). For week 4, here was my haul:
Anyways, week 3 was Thanksgiving week, so I gave everything to my friends (with whom I am sharing the CSA share). For week 4, here was my haul:
- Pea tendrils
- Red radishes
- Chiogga beets
- Carrots
- Bok choy
- Yellow onions
- Celeriac
- Lacinato kale (I may finally try making these famous kale chips)
- Spinach (looks really good)
- Leek
- Tatsoi and chickweed
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Rutabaga
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Fall CSA: Week 2
This week I did not pick up much produce, mainly because I will not have time to use it before leaving for Thanksgiving week. Instead, I let my friends keep most of the vegetables. What I did get, however, looks delicious:
- Sweet onions
- Shallots (these stand out because I once read or heard Anthony Bourdain say that using shallots is what separates home cooks from professional chefs)
- Tatsoi
- Purple top turnips
- French breakfast radishes
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Fall CSA: Week 1
The Empire Strikes Back!
And you thought I was done posting about my CSA. Oh no. I just started my Fall season CSA, again with the same cooperative (Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative), only this time I purchased a full share, splitting it with two other friends. My haul from this week? Pretty nice:
And you thought I was done posting about my CSA. Oh no. I just started my Fall season CSA, again with the same cooperative (Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative), only this time I purchased a full share, splitting it with two other friends. My haul from this week? Pretty nice:
- Leek
- Red radishes
- Micro tatsoi
- Tatsoi
- Broccoli
- Hokkaido squash
- Carrots
Thursday, November 3, 2011
CSA: Week 25
I have finally reached the end of my CSA journey. Well, not quite, as I signed up for a 7- or 8-week "fall extension," but I am not counting that.
What did I think? Well, it was pretty neat not having to go shopping for produce each week. I prepared vegetables I would have otherwise not used, like radishes and beets, and were introduced to a few new ones, like tatsoi. The experience also reaffirmed that I find lettuce boring and I need to find a better way (or improve my technique) to cook eggplant.
This was the haul for the last week:
What did I think? Well, it was pretty neat not having to go shopping for produce each week. I prepared vegetables I would have otherwise not used, like radishes and beets, and were introduced to a few new ones, like tatsoi. The experience also reaffirmed that I find lettuce boring and I need to find a better way (or improve my technique) to cook eggplant.
This was the haul for the last week:
- Red meat radishes
- Yellow onions
- Arugula
- Leek
- Cilantro
Green cabbageswapped for French breakfast radishesRed leaf lettuceswapped for cilantro- Applesauce
- Red raspberry jam
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